All posts by jhines

Clam Gulch Alaska Fishing Lodge and Bed and Breakfast, your Alaskan home base for outdoor adventures and indoor hospitality. Set on the stunningly rustic terrain of the Kenai Peninsula, Clam Gulch Lodge offers guests world class Alaska fishing, breathtaking views of Mt. Redoubt, Iliamna, and Spurr while feasting upon full-service breakfasts of salmon hash, reindeer sausage, pancakes, coffee, and more. Located only minutes away from the Kenai River famous for salmon fishing, halibut fishing, clamming, and hiking, Clam Gulch Lodge and B&B is also a cozy sanctuary for those guests whom prefer to read on our large deck, play a game or horseshoes, or bask in Alaska’s midnight sun.

Need advice on where to fish for Alaska salmon, halibut, and rainbow trout? Dig for razor clams? Search for beach stones? Just ask one of our friendly staff members. Then drink your third cup of coffee, tea or juice, and let us do the morning dishes!

Hospitality Alaskan Bed and Breakfast style: home cooking, and a friendly atmosphere are not the only attributes of Clam Gulch Lodge that draw guests to come back year after year. This Alaskan bed and breakfast options suit a variety of individuals, groups, and tastes. Whether you are traveling alone or in a troop of twenty of people, you may choose from the following spacious and comfortable rooms:

Also, the newly remodeled Eagle’s Nest Cabin offers guests the ability to experience the beautiful Alaskan scenery that the original homesteaders in the area enjoyed. The cabin is nestled into the woods near the bluff and sleeps up to six people. It has the all the amenities to make your stay very comfortable—a fully furnished kitchen, a dining area, a bathroom, and a covered deck with bar-b-que grill.

clammingAfter a day of fishing on the Kenai River, clamming or beach combing, return to the Clam Gulch Lodge BnB to discuss the day’s adventures with other guests from around the world. Warmed by the flames of our stone fire pit, guests share their Alaskan adventure stories of the ocean, river, and mountainside with other travelers whom may have chosen to remain closer to the comfort of our Alaskan Vacation Lodge and snap photographs of eagles, moose, and ravens.

Wild flowers, wild berries, moose sightings, ocean air, and beautiful vistas of the Alaskan wilderness are part of what makes our job so easy: We love the stunning bluff on which we live and we love sharing it with travelers who enjoy fresh Alaskan fare; great Alaska fishing; and sunsets that city dwellers still see in their dreams.

An absolute giant of moose goes down in Alaska. Israel Payton may have his hands on the new world record moose.
World record animals being harvested always gain a lot of attention. Of course, a moose is not going to catch the attention that a world record whitetail would, but a record is sure to turn some heads.

And the news of a new world record moose being broke is doing just that.

Israel Payton, an Alaskan, may have just harvested the world record moose with a successful hunt on this whopping bull. It is said the bull is coming in at an incredible score of 80 inches.

In an article and interview with KTUU, Israel gave some insight on the hunt.

“We tried to stand it up with cow calls, bull rakes, and grunts,” said Payton over the phone. “I guesstimated it was about a 70 inch rack from the field, and finally after 2 hours it stood up and offered a clean kill, harvested it.”

“You always get a big adrenaline rush right before you harvest an animal, anyway I do,” said Payton. “When I got up next to the animal I realized how big and massive it truly was.”
He also stated that he had originally saw the bull from about 600 yards away and closed the distance to 200 yards to get in range for a shot. But the bull then bedded down and made the hunters wait two hours before presenting an ethical opportunity.

More details on the hunt are hard to come by at the moment, so you just hope it isn’t a story that is getting fabricated. It seems a little strange that more photos aren’t being presented of the moose, but hopefully those will come soon. Time will tell, and hopefully we will soon know if it officially gets ruled the new world record moose.

One other photo that has been circulating is from an individual who got to score and touch the rack. Below is the photo and his comments regarding the giant of a trophy. Also is the quote from his Facebook post on the magnificent moose.

A moose that size is sure to fill many freezers for a loooong time. Outstanding bull to say the least.

What could possibly be better than a day trip fishing for halibut or salmon from Homer, Alaska? The answer is simple: a multiple day trip. For anglers who are really serious about fishing, long range trips are a great way to go. Bring along your group of up to 6 and we will take you on a great long range fishing trip – fishing, gear, meals and lodging on the boat are included.

Homer Ocean has been operating overnight and multiple day trips as a legally permitted business for over 25 years. Every year we operate more long range trips than any other operator in the Homer area This means that we not only know how and where to fish, but that we also are equipped to provide gourmet meals, comfortable lodging, shore excursions, and we know how to have fun. An uptight captain or rude crew can ruin even the best fishing trip. At Homer Ocean our staff is professional, courteous, and safety oriented, while at the same time striving to ensure each guest has the most fun possible. People often ask, all things being equal, why should we go with you? The answer is easy: because we have more fun.

On the first morning the crew will familiarize you with the features of the boat and serve a breakfast of juice, fruit, coffee, muffins and toast. The vessel will be the Outer Limits, our 60 foot yacht. We limit these trips to your party of up to six guests. Due to the availability of halibut, rock fish, lingcod and silver salmon we usually recommend mid July through August for the very best long range fishing. However trips can be arranged anytime during the summer season.

Trophy Longcod We’ll take you to areas beyond the range of the day trip fleet, to places that are rarely fished. Since we have a limited number of people on the boat we can concentrate on larger fish, usually in shallow water for the ultimate fight. The spacious deck and experienced crew make for the best fishing of your life. You may keep the four halibut of your choice, but we do encourage catch and release of large breeding fish. Also available are several species of rock fish and ling cod (opens on July 1). We provide top quality tackle for catching halibut but you may want to bring along your favorite light tackle rod for some insane action. Starting around the first of August we begin catching silver salmon on our long range trips. We also take along a shore launch so we can follow these salmon on the incoming tides. There is nothing like fishing these remote, beautiful areas for salmon and halibut. The crew serves you first class meals, baits your hook, cleans your fish, and even plays jokes on your buddy. In the evening we anchor in calm protected coves where you can get a good night’s sleep or you can fish all night. We return to Homer around 5 p.m. on the last day of your trip.

We recommend 3-5 days for the best possible experience. These trips are not the least expensive- they are simply the best. They include your fishing, lodging, meals, and on board entertainment. Why go fishing at a lodge when you can take the lodge fishing with you?

CALL FOR AVAILABILITY AND CURRENT PRICES – Toll free 1-800-426-6212 Home Ocean Charts

Two men met a grizzly bear while scouting for hunting areas and the encounter didn’t end well. Both men were badly mauled by the bear.
Two men were hiking and scouting new areas for potential hunting grounds in British Columbia when they encountered a sow grizzly bear with cubs. The protective bear mauled both men and put them both in the hospital.

The attack occurred on June 10 in the Dewar Creek area of the southern Purcell Wilderness Conservancy north of Kimberly, where the two men are from.

“It happened on Saturday, June 10 at about 9 p.m.,” said Conservation Officer Joe Carravetta. “It was in the Dewar Creek areas up St. Mary’s. These two guys were out hiking, scouting out areas for future hunting. They didn’t have any firearms with them.”

There is no information available on whether or not the men had bear spray with them.
“Around 9 p.m they were hiking when they got between a grizzly sow and her two, year-old cubs. Both individuals were attacked and sustained multiple puncture wounds to the arms, legs, torsos and heads. Their vehicle was parked some distance away, but they were able to get to it and drive to the Cranbrook hospital. Then it was reported to us.”

One man required an extended hospital stay while his friend was released after getting treatment.

Conservation Officers investigated the scene of the attack and decided to warn campers in the area as well as temporarily close nearby hiking trails. The campers evacuated.

“We do not intend on pursuing the bears,” reported Carravetta. “This happened way back in an isolated area and we won’t pursue the bears unless they prove to be a problem again. It was just bears doing what bears do.”

10 Foot Takeoff
Unlike other places where speed may dominate pilot discussions, up here it’s all about how slow you can go. It’s directly related to how quickly you can get off the ground and how little room you need to land.

It’s called, “STOL” or “short take-off and landing” and here in Alaska it is synonymous with flying.

When the last of their children passes, the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge will no longer be open for settlers. Until then, the Heimo and Edna Korth live with their Akita/Husky mix Kenai in the primarily frozen tundra, living off the vast expanse of land.

Vice sent Thomas Morton out with a crew to chat with him, and came back with some surprising details about Alaska. As their plane flew away to leave them, they realized just how incredibly isolated they were, hundreds of miles away from the nearest neighbors and with the hospital only accessible via helicopter ride.

The weather is so cold, meat is just left hanging in the open and has to be sawn through with a hacksaw to be cooked, while condiments and salad dressing are left outside to keep cool, next to the guns– used for shooting the bears that come after the hanging meats.

On a clear day, their radio system can pick up signals from Europe, and sometimes even somewhere in Asia. In spite of leaving to get away from the hustle and bustle of people, sometimes the Korths feel starved for outside contact, and even feel a little less isolated by something as remote as an airplane flying far overhead.
“The stomach needs food, and the mind needs people.” Heimo explains, wisely.

He smiles while he chats, cooking over an open flame on a grill like it’s second nature or watching for caribou. In spite of -or perhaps because of- living isolated in the middle of nowhere, he seems like a kindhearted social butterfly, with pounds of wisdom to spare. He’s more than happy to talk about his ideas of human history’s nomadic nature and how humans are using up all of Earth’s natural resources, or sit and grumble about how Arnold Schwarzenegger’s traps in Predator are terrible.

When another bear comes to steal food supplies for itself, Heimo shoots it. The next day, they skin it, and take home the fur, and the skull goes to Alaska Fish and Game.
“He went to Bear Heaven.” says Edna.

“Everybody’s ancestors were hunters and trappers. Everybody, everybody.” Heimo observes. Perhaps owing in part to his lack of other people to talk to, or perhaps just his being a practical realist, he doesn’t consider animals to be quite the same as humans. Kenai is an outdoor dog, and you’ll never see Heimo thinking of an animal’s feelings as being the same as a human’s.

He sings “The U.S. Airforce” cheerfully, and Edna teases him about his terrible Eskimo pronunciation as they walk up the hill. They’re going to the cross they put up for their oldest daughter, tragically lost at a young age during a river crossing. The Korths add flowers to the display as they do every year, and quietly mourn their loss. Death is simply a part of the circle of life, and they know this well, but some wounds will always stay fresh. After, they chatter with ease about their own after-death plans for their ashes. Mourning truly is for the living, it seems.

Thomas Morton learned to trap and skin rabbits, and all about the ins and outs of living in Alaska (or as much as one can learn in so little a time), and all too soon it’s time to go home again. Edna gives him and his team mementos to remember them by (Thomas’ being a fox-fur keychain). They part ways, but that won’t be the last we hear of the Korths, I’d wager.

St. Elias is a family owned and operated full service restaurant and brewpub. We offer a menu of rustic Neapolitan style pizzas, gourmet salads, sandwiches and desserts. We strive to use the freshest ingredients to maintain a high standard of quality.

Our on sight brewhouse is designed to produce fine handcrafted ale, using the freshest grain and hops from around the world. Our restaurant offers up to 10 ales on tap and an extensive wine menu, including some Alaskan made varieties. Our 7 barrel brewhouse produces all of our house ales as well as cream soda and rootbeer. At St. Elias, our mission is to provide the highest quality dining experience for your enjoyment.

{If you’re hiking, back-packing, or camping and forgot your stove here’s a little bushcraft hack that could save the day.}

Here’s a funky and easy camping hack for you to try next time you find yourself without a kettle. Make this DIY tent peg stove and pot to cook in.
What if you found yourself out on a hike or camping trip having forgotten your portable stove? Or maybe it just broke? Well, make yourself a quick and easy tent peg stove using three or four metal tent pegs and some aluminum foil.

Simply pound the tent pegs into the ground in the form of a small circle or triangle, with the L-shapes facing inward. Space them close enough together to hold a can of food.

Then, simply build a fire around and under them to heat the contents of your can of beans, veggies, or whatever you might have.

You can also make yourself a small pot or bowl with a sheet of aluminum foil. It should be a substantial enough piece of foil that you can fold it over on itself at least three times. This will help to keep the fire from burning any holes in it and prevent it from leaking.

You can use your fist or a can as a form with which to fold the aluminum foil around. If you use a can you can make the bottom flatter so that it is more stable on the tent peg platform.

This will hold water, which you can boil to purify or cook in. And you can use this more than once if you treat it gently.

There you go! An easy tent peg stove and container to cook in. What other camp hacks can you come up with?

There are many ghost stories to hear about but for this Montana hiker, you’d have live a lifetime of scary tales in a single, death-defying day. Todd Orr survived, but barely and he had a firearm that he chose not to use in respect for the bear. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be attacked by a bear, here’s the story in vivid detail as posted on his Facebook:

Hello everyone.

Thought I should share yesterday morning’s Grizzly incident.

I took an early morning hike in the Madison valley to scout for elk. Knowing that bears are common throughout southwest Montana, I hollered out “hey bear” about every 30 seconds so as to not surprise any bears along the trail.

About three miles in, I stepped out into an open meadow and hollered again. A few more steps and I spotted a sow Grizzly bear with cubs on the trail at the upper end of the meadow. The sow saw me right away and they ran a short distance up the trail. But suddenly she turned and charged straight my way. I yelled a number of times so she knew I was human and would hopefully turn back. No such luck. Within a couple seconds, she was nearly on me. I gave her a full charge of bear spray at about 25 feet. Her momentum carried her right through the orange mist and on me.

I went to my face in the dirt and wrapped my arms around the back of my neck for protection. She was on top of me biting my arms, shoulders and backpack. The force of each bite was like a sledge hammer with teeth. She would stop for a few seconds and then bite again. Over and over. After a couple minutes, but what seemed an eternity, she disappeared.

Stunned, I carefully picked myself up. I was alive and able to walk so I headed back down the trail towards the truck 3 miles below. As I half hiked and jogged down the trail, I glanced at my injuries. I had numerous bleeding puncture wounds on my arms and shoulder but I knew I would survive and thanked god for getting me through this. I hoped the bleeding wasn’t too significant. I really didn’t want to stop to dress the wounds. I wanted to keep moving and put distance between us.

About five or ten minutes down the trail, I heard a sound and turned to find the Griz bearing down at 30 feet. She either followed me back down the trail or cut through the trees and randomly came out on the trail right behind me. Whatever the case, she was instantly on me again. I couldn’t believe this was happening a second time! Why me? I was so lucky the first attack, but now I questioned if I would survive the second.

Again I protected the back of my neck with my arms, and kept tight against the ground to protect my face and eyes. She slammed down on top of me and bit my shoulder and arms again. One bite on my forearm went through to the bone and I heard a crunch. My hand instantly went numb and wrist and fingers were limp and unusable. The sudden pain made me flinch and gasp for breath. The sound triggered a frenzy of bites to my shoulder and upper back. I knew I couldn’t move or make a sound again so I huddled motionless. Another couple bites to my head and a gash opened above my ear, nearly scalping me. The blood gushed over my face and into my eyes. I didn’t move. I thought this was the end. She would eventually hit an artery in my neck and I would bleed out in the trail… But I knew that moving would trigger more bites so a laid motionless hoping it would end.

She suddenly stopped and just stood on top of me. I will never forgot that brief moment. Dead silence except for the sound of her heavy breathing and sniffing. I could feel and her breath on the back of my neck, just inches away. I could feel her front claws digging into my lower back below my backpack where she stood. I could smell the terrible pungent odor she emitted. For thirty seconds she stood there crushing me. My chest was smashed into the ground and forehead in the dirt. When would the next onslaught of biting began. I didn’t move.

And then she was gone.

I tried to peek out without moving but my eyes were full of blood and I couldn’t see. I thought that if she came back a third time I would be dead, so I had to do something. Staying in position on the ground, I slowly reached under my chest to grab at the pistol I was unable to get to earlier. I felt I needed something to save my life. The pistol wasn’t there. I groped around again but nothing. I wiped the blood from one eye and looked around.

No bear.

The pistol and holster were lying five feet to my left. The bear’s ferocious bites and pulling had ripped the straps from the pack and the holster attached to it. Now trashed, that backpack may have helped prevent many more serious bites on my back and spine.

I picked everything up and moved down the trail again. I couldn’t believe I had survived two attacks. Double lucky!

Blood was still dripping off my head and both elbows and my shirt was soaked to the waist and into my pants. But a quick assessment told me I could make it another 45 minutes to the truck without losing too much blood.

I continued the jog just wanting to put more distance between that sow and I.

At the trailhead was one other vehicle. I really hoped that person didn’t run into the same bear.

I snapped a couple quick photos and a video of my wounds, laid some jackets over the truck seat and headed for town. I stopped a rancher along the way and asked him to make a call to the hospital. When I got into cell service, I made a quick call to my girlfriend to ask how her morning was going, before freaking her out and asking her to bring me a change of clean clothes to the hospital.

Another call to 911 and I gave the operator a quick run down of my injuries and asked her to call the hospital and give them a heads up that I was ten minutes out.

Moments later I was met at the front door by the doctor, nurse and an officer. I had to ask the officer to open the door, put my truck in park, and unbuckle my seat belt. My left arm was useless. He was impressed I had taken the effort to buckle.

Once inside, the x-rays revealed only a chip out of the ulna bone in my forearm. Following was eight hours of stitching to put me back together. Most were arm and shoulder punctures and tears. A 5? gash along the side of my head will leave a nasty scar, but I’m hoping my balding doesn’t come on too quickly and leave that one exposed. 🙂

And finally, this morning, numerous deep bruises and scrapes are showing up from the bites that didn’t quite break the skin. Dark bruising in the shape of claws, line across my lower back and butt where the bear stood on me. Also a few more chest bruises and facial abrasions from being smashed and slammed into the ground.

Not my best day, but I’m alive.

So thankful I’m here to share with all of you. 🙂

In a couple weeks I will have to clean out the truck a little better. My girlfriend says it looks like I had gutted an elk in the drivers seat.